Time to take the Dover test

[duvinnie]

WASHINGTON (Creators Syndicate) -- At Harvard on January 19, 2000, then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Hugh Shelton provided a valuable standard, both to determine whether the United States ought to send the nation's warriors into combat and to enlist "the support of the American people as well as the Congress" needed to sustain that involvement. In Shelton's judgment, such a grave decision :

"(M)ust be subjected to what I call the 'Dover test.' Is the American public prepared for the sight of our most precious resource coming home in flag-draped caskets into Dover Air Force Base in Delaware -- which is a point entry for our Armed Forces?

This is an issue, I think, that should be raised early on. It should be discussed, and it should be decided by our political leadership before any operation begins."

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/11/03/column.shields.opinion.dover/

(Needless to say, * ducked the Dover test and the gutless press has bent over backwards to avoid
pointing it out. My hometown paper covered the helicopter story this morning with a small
headline that said "US to persist despite crash". The story was not about the loss of US lives,
but about how we-will-not-be-deterred rah, rah rah. )

[Nlighten1]

1. I just found out today that someone I know's husband

died in Iraq 3 months ago. I haven't seen her in a while and I was shocked by the news.

[ant]

2. I think everyone will be touched eventually

I don't personally know anyone in the military, not even by a few degrees of separation as far as I can tell, but I do have a friend over there now working on the humanitarian side of things. I haven't heard from her in a few weeks, and while I know communication is difficult and I'm sure she's got more pressing concerns than email at the moment, I can't help but get nervous the more time passes.

[scottcsmith]

3. Some of my shipmates are still in

I was in the Navy from 1986-1992. I know many of my former shipmates are still in the Navy, and I know at least one who has been deployed to Iraq. He's a reporter for Stars and Stripes, so hopefully he will not be shot or have his vehicle blown up with a RPG.